Packing rotary engines.



w. H. F'mEnmcH. rAcKlNG ROTARY memes;

` APPLICATION FILED JUNE I8. i911.

Patented Oct.v 23, 1917.

WILLIAM n. raInlnnIcI-r, or nrnn, INDIANA.

PACKING- ROTARY ENGINES. Y

Specification of Letters Patent.

patented oet. es, reir.

Application filed I une 18, 1917. Serial No. 175,420.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that 1, "iTVrLIgIi-rir H. Finnonrcrr, a .citizen of the United States, resid- 'ing at Dyer, in the county of Lake and State of indiana, have invented new and useful improvements in Packing Rotary Engines, of ".vhich the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide in a rotary engine a novel and improved packing for the piston, to prevent leakage of the steam or other motive fluid, and to this end the invention consists in a combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

1n order that the invention may be better understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in said drawings,

Figure 1 is atransverse section through the cylinder of the engine showing the rotor and other parts associated therewith;

Fig. Q is an enlarged section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a. detail in perspective.

Referring specifically to the drawings 5 denotes the cylinder of the engine, the same being mounted on a suitable base 6, and closed at its end by heads 7. Through the center of the cylinder passes a shaft 8 carrying a rotor 9 having piston wings 10 projecting radially from its periphery and in sliding contact at their outer ends with the cylinder wall, and at their side edges with the cylinder' heads. nto the fiuid pressure space of the cylinder extend swinging abutinents 11 which are forced back by the piston wings to allow the latter to pass. The cylinder has two inlet ports 12 and two exhaust ports 13. The engine is a well-known type of rotary engine, and as its operation is well understood, a further description is deemed unnecessary.

1n order to prevent leakage of the steam or other motive fluid, the following packing is provided for the rotor and its piston wings.

In each end of the rotor 9 is a circular groove in which seat two packing rings 14: and 15, respectively. The outer ring is a fiber ring, and the inner or backing ring is a metallic ring. 1n the periphery of the rotor are ducts 16 extending inward in the direction of the center thereof as far as the grooves in having at their inner ends oppositely extending branches 17 which lead to and open which the packing rings seat, and

into the grooves back of the .inner rings 15. The steam or other motive iiuid enters the ducts 16 and passes along the branches 17 to the rings .15 against which latter the pressure is expended to force said rings and the rings outward, the ring 1d being thus held pressed against the inner face of the heads 7 to produce a fluid tight joint between the ends of the rotor and the cylinder heads 6.

At the piston wings 1, the packing rings 141 have offsets 141 respectively seating in grooves in the side edges of the piston wings and lapped by angle plates 18, which latter also extend across the outer edge of the pistonV wings and are here lapped. 1t will therefore be seen that a fluid tight joint is made between the side edges of the winds and the inner faces of the cylinder heads and also between the outer edges of the wings and the wall ofthe cylinder 5. By

Vthe lap joint between the offset 14. and the angle plates 18, the latter are forced outward with the rings 14 by the fluid pressure expended against the rings 15, and as the two plates are lap jointed at the outer edge of the piston wings they are free to move outward to follow the rings lil. The lap joint between the plates 18 and the cifsets 111 also leaves the former free to be pressed outward into sealing Contact with the inner periphery of the cylinder 5, this action being also produced by the fluid pressure, each piston wing 10 having a duct 19 extending from its rear face and terminating back of the plates 18, and said plates therefore having a lateral movement as well as a radial movement.

1n each duct 16 and 19 is a hall check valve 20 having for its seat the inner end of a j bushing 21 mounted in the duct. A screen or similar barrier 22 extends across the duct near the valve seat to prevent the valve from dropping too far away from the same. By providing the ducts with check valves, the fluid pressure is prevented from escaping during the exhaust period, and the packing rings are therefore kept pressed outward during the entire time the engine is running, and they are prevented from being unbalanced which would tend to produce leakage.

I claim: f

1. In a rotary engine, a cylinder, a rotor in the cylinder and having piston wings extending frorn its periphery, the ends of the roter having circular greevee, and the side edges und the outer ends of the piston Wings being also groovecl, packing rings'seating in the circular grooves entlhaving osets seating in the side grooves of the Wings, and overlapping packing plates seating inv the enel grooves of the Wings and having portions seating' in the sidegrooves thereof 'and overlapping the offsets, theY roten having" Huid pressure supply ducts terminating hehinclthe plates;y

2.1131 e roter7 engine, n Cylinder7 a rotor in theeylinder and havingpiston Wings eX- tending` from its periphery, `the ends of lthe packing. rings und the peekingy end grooves of the Wings and hevingpmA tions sezrtirng, in the side grooves thereof and overlapping the offsets, the rotor having Huid pressure supply duetstermineting lwhincl the packing c rings enel. the peeking plates, and eheclivelvesin said duets.

ln testimony Whereofl alixsniy signature VILLIAM vH. FRIEDRICH.

Copies offthis patent may Vbeoetainedffor ve .cents each, byjaddressng t11e:6ommssioner #of lztentgy Washington.,- D. C2. 

